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Lore G1S1
=Dehumanization= Approximately RE -400 the 21st Human Century In this section we will trace the growing role of technology in a divided 21st century society and humankind's misguided attempts to save its home planet from the corruption and decay they released upon it over their 50 thousand years of occupation. By the early 21st century, human society had effectively been split into two distinct groups. A small percentage enjoyed great prosperity and luxury thanks largely to rapid technological advancement. The majority, however, struggled to survive in this vastly changing world; stricken by despair and poverty, desperation and depression became the norm. In a way, both demographics had become slaves to circumstance and consequence; the sick and poor unable to escape their harsh reality, stripped of their sanity and self-worth; the elite unable or unwilling to control their appetite for ‘progress’ and ‘prosperity’. All of humankind seemed content to surrender their humanity for a chance at the dream; a dream none could remember. The radical changes brought about during this age of technology were not fully embraced by everyone. Anti-technology extremist groups had become more active than at any time in human history. The so-called traditional communities forbade the use of particular technologies, while others sought to hinder or halt further advancement. As the century drove on, the population swelled at an alarming rate. It became clear even to the now numb masses that the planet’s resources and human infrastructure would soon collapse under the strain. Humankind, as they had with every other challenge they faced, leaned on their creativity and ingenuity and began the search for the technology that would save them. The breadth and nature of the problems they faced was wide and varied; each region faced unique challenges. Humankind would need careful planning and masterful implementation to have any chance at survival. Unfortunately for the people of the age, bureaucracy and corporate greed drove the effort for salvation. This mismanagement resulted in irreparable damage to the planet’s fragile ecosystem, and the expenditure of critical and now very rare resources. By the middle to late 21st century, the effects of climate change and widespread disease had forced the mass exodus of billions of people from their native lands. Disease and famine spread in the wake of the migrating droves. Tensions rose as many regions began to catastrophically destabilize. Nuclear, chemical and biological proliferation across militant states and loosely-formed terrorist cells, coupled with the seemingly certain death of their natural world, weighed heavily on late 21st century humans. The few capable organizations that remained began planning the mass evacuation of their home world and turned their attention to the stars. =Reaching for the Stars= Approximately RE -350 late 21st to early 22nd Human Century In this section, we will focus on the early planning and preparations for planetary evacuation of the human race from their dying world. Humankind had long sent robotic probes to the Solar system's outer planets. Despite extensive exploration and experimentation missions, little improvement had been made with regard to human space travel. Limited to sub-light travel speeds, only the neighboring planets where reachable by most manned flights. Neither Sol 2 nor Sol 4 was habitable on a permanent basis, although Sol 4, also known as Mars, was the best candidate. The human race was ill-suited to life away from its home planet. Even if it could make Sol 4 a viable option, its small size and limited resources would only support a fraction of the surviving human population. While terra-formation and station habitat systems were being heavily researched, it was clear that the human race would need to be improved upon at a base level if it was to survive and prosper in a largely space born environment. The Human 2.0 project was launched at the close of the 21st century; a radical global initiative involving researchers, engineers and physicians from nearly every discipline. The goal of the project was to take conscious control over human evolution, and not merely guide it, but drive it to include the incorporation of humankind's many technological achievements into its very being. Cybernetic, nano tech and organic hardware research went into overdrive. Researchers looked for ways for inorganic components to be incorporated as native or ‘natural’ parts of human anatomy, while engineers and physicians set about the messy work of implementing and testing concepts and prototypes. The human population was hesitant to once again trust its fate to the few in power, but the looming reality of extinction provided sufficient support to start the initial phases. While the race as a whole considered the implications of such rash actions, the population became polarized and once again split in two. Tensions would continue to rise through the early years of the 21st century as humankind engineered its final days. =A Model Man= Aproximately RE -325 early 22nd Human Century In this section we will focus on the early research efforts leading to the emergence of the first true Terran. The funding for the early research was sourced from the few stable governments that remained, but largely came from private corporations, the majority of which specialized in defense contracting. Space exploration was a strong secondary focus and enjoyed a zeal not seen since humankind's early space missions of the 20th century. While a few core regions of the planet enjoyed a renewed sense of hope, the past century of dissent and decay had taken its toll and many regions had become entrenched in endless conflict. Anti- technology extremist groups became a real threat to the survival of the human race as they staged countless attacks on key research centers around the world. The few remaining intact governments banded together to fight this threat, eroding the last lines of segregation that remained among the powerful. With a new unified governance system in place and strong support from much of the civilian population, research progressed at an impressive rate. Implants were developed that would bond with the host's very genetic code; the first successes improved thought-speed and process-accuracy, as well as greatly enhancing memory-recall and total capacity. Further improvements were made with regard to networking; it was at this point that test subjects gained the Terran ability to communicate by data transfer. While physical improvements were still needed to cope with the effects of life in space, a new race had emerged and was named Terran in honor of the planet that spawned it. =First Impressions= Approximately RE -325 early 22md Human Century In this section we will focus on the early stages of Terran development in the predominantly human world. The principle sponsors of the Human 2.0 program – or Terran program as it came to be known – sought to guard their investment closely until its true potential could be assessed. Initial ‘production’ Terran, referred to as ‘models’, were strictly limited. Breeding was tightly controlled and many challenges regarding procreation were documented. Human scientists labored tirelessly to insure the proliferation of enhanced traits, in particular the predictable inheritance of traits from parent to child. The early attempts at altering the core genetic code failed to yield the desired results, although epigenetic advances soon solved the inheritance issue. As the bulk of the program's benefactors had a vested interest in defense application, initial Terran prototypes were primarily used in a military training capacity, and this undoubtedly had a strong effect on the rapid evolution of those early Terran. The early martial performance results far exceeded the expectations of the program's investors. With various anti-technology groups on a continuous crusade against the Terran program and related research efforts, global military efforts where stepped up. The counter-terrorism responses resulted in the fragmentation of the terrorist network and created an array of difficult-to-stamp-out micro cells. Private sector security forces, many of which were employees of the Terran program’s biggest benefactors, were deployed to support the small and over taxed government military. With the large scale introduction of mercenaries came the rise in civilian casualties. Public support for the war effort began to split as the line between terrorist and patriot became increasingly difficult to define. The terrorist-led nuclear attack on a prominent research center resulted in massive loss of life and the introduction of Terrans to the battlefield. =Super Hero or Super Villain= Approximately RE -300 early to mid 22nd Human Century In this section we will focus on the contribution of early Terran to planetary defense forces and public opinion of the Terran race. Human soldiers immediately noted the Terran’s superior intellectual and physical abilities. With Terran agents attached to key military elements, the most dangerous and elusive of the terrorists was quickly and efficiently neutralized. Military and corporate leaders saw and seized the opportunity, and duly expanded the Terran program for an ever increasing military role. Advances in nanotechnology added inheritable and evolvable inorganic components to the Terran feature-set, rendering Terran 'super soldiers'. All functioning Terran were now officially deployed as military assets and ordered to hunt down and destroy terrorist groups across the globe. The general population was split on the decision to weaponize the Terran. While most humans where cybernetically enhanced at this point, they lacked the innate abilities of the Terran. The rash actions of the corporations and militaries had created a terrifying disparity in human and Terran martial capability. Many humans, once strong supporters of the Terran program, now found themselves questioning the legitimacy of the program and the survival of the human race. Once again human history had encountered a seemingly impassable rift, this one formed between the powerful few and the angry many. The mighty corporations, previously viewed as saviors of the human race, were now viewed as an even greater threat than the terrorists they hunted, thanks largely to the terrifying power of the Terran. The Terran themselves were unwittingly emerging as pariah on both sides; seen as a liability by the corporations and as the embodiment of greed and corruption by the masses. =Mirrors= RE -282 to -272 aka 2172 to 2182 CE In this section we will focus on the impact of Terran development on public opinion, and the fear politics of ancient human corporations and governments. It was the fielding of the first ‘pure’ or natural born Terran that set into motion the collapse of the Terran program. Now young adults, the powers of these first born Terran had awakened and painted a clear picture of things to come in the eyes of the opposition. While the Terran operatives were still few in number, their ferocity in battle and inhuman strengths and abilities unsettled the human soldiers. Terran elements now spearheaded the anti terror military effort and human soldiers were marginalized in the process. Powerful human weapons and tactics of war long revered as kings and queens of battle were easily torn apart by even the youngest Terran operatives. As dissent grew within the human ranks and loyalties became increasingly muddied, more and more states came to condemn the Terran program, resulting in the civil government’s control over the military at large completely eroding. Early Terran had become increasingly disgruntled by the treacherous, dishonorable and hypocritical traits of humans, further stressing relations. Defecting human comrades, and their commanders who clearly reported to corporate command, made early Terran question the legitimacy of the governments and corporations they served. Fear- mongering and propaganda missions only served to deepen the moral divide between Terran and Human. Though Terran hadn’t taken any military action against the human elements they served, their protests are well documented. The Terran program as a savior of the human race had virtually disappeared from record by the end of the 22nd human century. Terran, now well-established as a race, had proven themselves vastly superior to their human counterparts in nearly every way. The corrupt governments and corporate giants who had championed the Terran program now feared rebellion from the human masses and insurrection from the Terran super soldiers they themselves had created. Tensions would continue to rise climaxing in RE -272 or 2182 CE, setting the stage for the last conflict humankind would ever know. =Control Measures= RE -272 to -270 aka 2182 to 2184 CE In this section we will focus on the official end of the Terran development efforts and the start of the Human-Terran war. As pressure mounted against the leading powers of the time, calls for the restructuring, or all out halt, of Terran development had become too loud for the governments and corporations to ignore. The Terran Program’s founding goals of human evolution and salvation had seemingly been lost to war, greed and corruption. The past century of war, famine and disease had twisted and perverted the very fabric of humanity, the world, and even the young Terran race beyond its own recognition. With the now enhanced and mutated humans struggling to survive on a toxic Earth, and reports trickling in of the horrific collapse of the lunar and Mars colonies, many people accepted that this was the end of mankind: a slow agonizing death by its own hand. A small few still held out hope, insisting that a renewed and civil effort applied to the Terran project could bring salvation. However, the majority vote of 2182 CE called for the immediate suspension of the Terran program, and subsequent lock-down of all Terran. The 2182 CE order of suspension was backed by the very corporations that had championed the Terran program in its early days, and they now sought proprietary rights on Terran technology and the Terran people themselves. The Terran Registration and Rights Management Act, put into effect on 2183 CE, was viewed as slavery and institutionalized genocide by the Terran victims. Before the oversight committee could even be named, a handful of Terran agents revolted – likely with the aid of the human researchers that had cared for them – and managed to liberate many of the younger, and a few of the more vetted, Terran peoples being held. The rebel Terran force quickly struck at remaining Terran holding compounds, freeing many of their compatriots. The small Terran forces quickly embarked on a coordinated rampage, destroying government and corporate command facilities before being repelled by a huge human military response. The battles of 2184 CE forced the Terran to retreat into the shadows. Fear and panic now consumed the globe; humans and Terran alike expecting absolute genocide from the other. The war between Human and Terran had begun, and neither would expect or offer any mercy of the other. =The Dirty Grey Line= RE -270 to -200 aka 2184 to 2254 CE In this section we will focus on the early stages of the Human Terran war, in particular the means by which a small Terran population survived global assault. In the Common Era year 2184, the human military contingent vastly outnumbered the whole of the Terran population. Leading human powers of the time promised a quick and decisive human victory over the now demonized Terran. However, Terran abilities and the close genetic relationship with humans made it particularly difficult to identify and destroy Terran people. Terran and human at the time where visually identical, and as many human were cybernetically enhanced themselves there was no simple means by which a Terran could be differentiated from a human on the street. To further complicate matters, Terran had human family members and friends and so the human government’s hunters were forced to draw a ‘dirty grey line’ defining what was human and what was not. Over the next few years, the Terran would show their true power: adaptability. Free of the sterile laboratory environments, Terran evolution exploded. By the close of the 22nd century, most Terran had developed improved regenerative abilities making them virtually impervious to small arms. Terran evolution enabled same-sex coupled procreation, compensating for the disparately male Terran population while further enhancing gene diversification. As the decades passed, the Terran numbers grew rapidly; a new breed of young Terran had now joined the fight. Though this 2nd generation was still young and its powers still lesser than that of the Terran elders, Terran youth was still far superior to human soldiers. The loss of human life was staggering, not only from the war but also due to the increasingly inhospitable surface of Earth. Humans, however, would not give up. Mass drafts saw the conscription of virtually every human into military service. While the Terran population approached a few hundred thousand, the human military was well over 7 billion strong. Human culture had shifted greatly during the first few decades and by 2254 CE, a unified warrior culture defined what it was to be human. Humankind now only knew one thing: war! =Torn= RE -200 to -79 aka 2154 to 2275 CE In this section we will review the factors that would eventually lead to the end of the Human Terran war and the return of ancient ways. RE -200 to RE -100 saw the spread of Terran across the globe. Continued evolution, coupled with the regenerative and age-halting abilities of the Terran of this age, insured Terran survival and eventual dominance. While anti-Terran effort was still the dominant human agenda, every new generation of human saw fewer born, and cared less for the demonization and destruction of Terran kind. While the Terran population was still notably smaller than that of the human military, a tipping point had been reached when the Terran gained mastery over the physical plain. Now able to traverse the earth, sky and oceans without need of vehicles, and no longer limited to the strengths of muscle and bone, Terran became giants in the sandbox. Although the human militants where now grossly outmatched by a nearly impervious enemy, the human tenacity and capacity for war and violence allowed them to struggle on. Humans further taxed the remaining resources, favoring the mutually assured destruction of earth over the possibility of a Terran victory. New terrible weapon systems where developed that could tear apart the very fabric of matter. Fortunately, they preferred to use them on Terran directly and never carried through on their threat to rip apart the Earth. The Human Terran conflict had reached an impasse; humankind was simply not willing to die, but could not achieve victory over the Terran. As human generations came and went, their unified culture slowly but surely began to waver and would soon be replaced by the echoes of nations and tribes long since passed. In its twilight years, humans began to look to its ancestry and to its soul. While conflict was ever present, it was border disputes and ancient cultural feuds that featured more prevalently than Terran and Human conflict, although the two still fought bloody battles on sight =Departure= RE -79 to 15 In this section we will focus on the emergence of Human Terran mixed factions and the departure from the Sol system. It was the emergence of the small states in the latter 23rd human century that would bring sanity back to the planet. While just as war-like as the former super powers of the last age, these states prized culture and heritage over all else and cared little for genetic makeup. These early factions were varied and diverse in view and theology, and in general rather intolerant of each other. Fortunately, each sought to keep to itself and the scarred surface of the earth helped define natural lines of delineation. The Terran, being related to the ancestors just as much as the Humans, were welcome in the factions they belonged to, and soon the faction map of earth would once again resemble the spotted tapestry of the ancient pre-industrial world. While views and ideals had reverted, technology had not; it was not long before the needs of the people outweighed the supply they had at hand. A few nomadic gangs still sought to return to the glory days of the world government and aggravated tensions between the states. The battles of the early faction wars would test the loyalty of these new factions; the bonds of faction loyalty would be proven true in several bloody battles. Terran and human became synonymous as human mothers and fathers coupled with Terran spouses to produce Terran children. Humankind was officially extinct hundreds of years later, having merged seamlessly into the Terran lines. The Human Terran separatists became just another faction in the eyes of most, but this did not end the bloodshed. Legendary battles of glory, and the unbreakable bond that defined a faction, soon inspired the Sol Oath: the Oath held by all with ancestry to Sol 3 that never again should war touch its surface. The Earth was deemed sacred, the cradle of every Terran being, and would be left in peace, on pain of the combined arms of all Terran kind. On the 15th anniversary of a particularly notable battle, the fore-bearers of the Nordic Alliance raised a great stone. The Rune, as it became known, inscribed by hand with the legends of war and the binding of the Sol oath, marked the start of the Runic Era, founded in the Common Era year 23 50. In the year thereafter, all the factions of Earth would erect simple, primitive temples to their particular culture, deconstruct their villages and cities, and leave the Sol system in mighty warships to continue their battles across the stars. Mankind had fulfilled its destiny, and the earth had somehow managed to survive. The only Terran that remain on Earth are the clergy; visited only by the occasional pilgrim or educational group. No Human or Terran technology, aside from the drop ship, has touched the surface of Earth in hundreds of years.